Regions  and  Diffusion  

Unit  I  Con2nued:    

3 Main Types of Regions Formal Region: defined by a commonality, typically

a cultural linkage or a physical characteristic. EX: Culture Regions, a country, Corn Belt,

Formal  Region  Map  

http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/resource/images/ntus_map.jpg

Func2onal  Region   defined by a set of social, political, or

economic activities or the interactions that occur within it.

*most intense near the central node, then lose relevance as distance increases - Distance Decay ex: - an urban area (DFW METROPLEX)

- newspaper route - radio station broadcast

- reception of television station

Center  of  all  ac2vity  and  beginning  of  interac2ons  

Transporta2on,  communica2on  and  trade  reaching  outside  areas  Less  important  than  center  

Perceptual  (Vernacular)  Perceptual Region: ideas in our minds, based on

accumulated knowledge of places and regions, that define an area of “sameness” or “connectedness.”

EX: The South (still based on States of the Confederacy?)

The Mid-Atlantic The Middle East (has perception

changed since 9/11?) The Sunbelt

Diffusion:  The  Spread  of  Ideas  •  All  ancient  culture  hearths    were  focal  points  of  innova2on  and  inven2on  –  Ideas  then  spread  from  their  source  areas  to  more  distant  loca2ons  

Diffusion  

•  Diffusion:  the  process  of  dissemina2on,  the  spread  of  an  idea  or  innova2on  from  its  hearth  to  other  areas.    –  2  types  

•  1-­‐  Expansion  Diffusion:  an  idea  or  innova2on  that  spreads    outward  from  the  hearth  

–  (3  sub-­‐types)  •  2.  Reloca6on  Diffusion:  People  move  to  a  new  area  and  take  their  language,  religion,  and  other  cultural  items  with  them.    

–  The  items  being  diffused  leave  the  original  areas  behind  as  they  move  to  new  areas.    

a.  Contagious  –  spreads  to  nearly  all  adjacent  individuals  (ex.  The  flu,  Spread  of  Islam  from  Mecca)  

b.  b.  Hierarchical  -­‐  Spreads  as  a  result  of  a  group  that  is  suscep2ble  (Clothing  Fads,  AIDS)  

     c.  S2mulus    –  idea  promotes  a      local  experiment  or  change      in  the  way  people  do  things.  (McDonalds?)  

Expansion  Diffusion  

 

Stimulus Diffusion

Example:

Because Hindus believe cows are holy, cows often roam the streets in villages and towns. The McDonalds restaurants in India feature veggie burgers.

Reloca2on  Diffusion  

Defined  again:  The  physical  spread  of  cultures/ideas.  When  people  migrate,  they  oXen  bring  various  aspects  of  their  culture      Language,  religion,  customs  

Main  difference  to  keep  in  mind  between  expansion  diffusion  and  reloca2on  diffusion  is:    ***Expansion  -­‐  it  is  the  IDEA,  INNOVATION  or  DISEASES)  that  does  the  moving    ***Reloca2on  –  involves  the  actual  movement  of  people  who  bring  the  ideas  etc…    

Reloca2on  Diffusion  Example  

•  Example:  African-­‐Americans  who  moved  from  the  rural  South  to  the  urban  North  during  the  mid-­‐20th  century  brought  blues  music  to  Chicago.  

 

Examples  of  Diffusion  

•  Religions    •  Food  

•  Cultural  trends  -­‐  Music  •  Plants/Animals/Insects  

• Diseases  

Worldwide, there are 1.4 billion followers of Islam There are

between 5 – 7 million Muslims in the United States

Diffusion of Islam

630 – 1600 AD

Starbucks..  They're  everywhere  

Diffusion  or  (in  this  case)  Fusion  of  Food  

•  In  China,  the  chief  food  flavor  used  is  soy  

 •  In  India,  the  principal  

flavoring  is  curry    •  Both  spices  spread  or  

‘migrated’    •  As  a  result,  Thai  food,  

influenced  by  both  China  and  India,  is  a  blend  of  both  cuisines,  yet  uniquely  Thai  

Music,  clothing  and  fads  

•  New  clothing  &  music  fads  spread  quickly  among  major  world  ci2es  such  as  ?    

   •  Only  later  do  they  filter  

down  the  urban  hierarchy  

Plants,  Animals  &  Insects  •  Arizona  is  a  case  study=  

‘introduc6on  of  alien  plant  species’  due  to  migra6on  of  people  from  all  over  US  to  Arizona  

 •  Kudzu  –  from  Japan  

•  West  Nile  Virus  

•  Africanized  Killer  Bees  

Kudzu  

•  Roots  are  jointed  &  o_en  branch  every  two  or  four  feet  and  can  form  separate,  independent  plants  as  the  root  joints  die.      

•  One  of  the  fastest  growing  plants  around,  with  the  ability  to  expand  as  much  as  60  feet  in  one  season!  

•  And,  it’s  very  difficult  to  control.    It  has  taken  over  some  areas  of  the  US,  such  as  Louisiana  and  Mississippi  

•  Kudzu resembles soybeans or cowpeas. •  Its roots can reach a depth of eight feet and have a circumference of over three inches.

West Nile Virus

Barriers  to  Diffusion  

What  slows/prevents  diffusion?  -­‐ 2me-­‐distance  decay  

-­‐ The  farther  an  idea  is  from  the  source,  the  less  likely  it  is  to  be  adopted  

-­‐  cultural  barriers:  Religious  beliefs,  language,  poli2cs  etc.  

Cultural  Environment  

Architecture,  changing  the  landscape,  etc    Cultural  ecology  –  study  of  the  rela2onship  between  a  culture  group  and  the  natural  environment  it  occupies  – Arid  regions  versus  humid  regions    

Environmental  Determinism  

•  Belief  that  humans  are  controlled  and/or  their  behavior  is  determined  by  their  physical  environment  –  Climate  being  the  cri2cal  factor  

•  Becoming  less  accepted  

Possibilism    

•  Possibilism  is  the  belief  that  while  people  may  face  challenges  regarding  physical  environment,  choices  are  always  present  as  to  how  one  can  deal  with  each  problem  

•  However,  possibilists  s2ll  retain  the  no2on  that  humans  can’t  control  all  aspects  of  their  environment  

Cultural  Landscape  

•  Carl  Sauer  coined  the  term  in  1927  •  All  iden2fiably  human-­‐induced  changes  in  the  natural  landscape  (ar2ficial  features)  

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE The visible human imprint on the landscape.

SEQUENT OCCUPANCE Layers of imprints in a cultural landscape that

reflect years of differing human activity.

Athens,Greece  

-­‐  ancient  Agora  surrounded  by  modern  buildings  

SEQUENT OCCUPANCE

Layers of imprints in a cultural landscape that reflect years of differing human activity.

Prague,  Czech  Republic  –  Prague  architecture  includes  Gothic,  Renaissance,  Baroque,  Neo-­‐Classical  and  Art  Nouveau.  

SEQUENT OCCUPANCE Mumbai,  India  &  Dar  es  Salaam,  Tanzania  African,  Arab,  German,  Bri2sh,  and  Indian  layers  to  the  ci2es.  

 Apartment  in  Mumbai     Apartment  in  Dar  es  Salaam  

** Similarity of Different Places •  Scale: From local to global

– Globalization of economy – Globalization of culture

•  Space: Distribution of features – Distribution

•  Connections between places – Spatial association – Diffusion

Cultural  Landscape  The  visible  human  imprint  on  the  landscape.  

Carl  Saur        

Religion and cremation practices diffuse with Hindu migrants from India to Kenya.

Fric2on  of  Distance  

•  Degree  to  which  distance  interferes  with  interac2on  

Space-­‐2me  compression  

•  People  are  closer  together  

•  Reduced  perceived  distance  

Distance  Decay